Tag Archives: alcohol

Folk Remedy – USA

Nationality: Jewish-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Clermont, CA
Performance Date: April 23, 2008
Primary Language: English

“The hair of the dog that bit ya.”

Jordan said he had first heard this saying from his now 29-year-old brother who lives and works in Los Angeles. Jordan said that; “the hair of the dog that bit ya is a saying that tells of a remedy for a hang over.” By that, Jordan said, he meant that; to cure a hangover on the next day, one could drink a little bit of the same alcohol that caused the hangover the night before. That having that extra drink in the morning would eventually save one from a pounding head caused by a hangover. In his explanation, Jordan said that; the dog that bit ya refers to the long night of drinking and its hair is a small amount of alcohol the next morning that will help cure the awful hangover.

Analysis.

I do not know to what extent this remedy works, but I have heard it a couple of times from friends. It seems to be a popular remedy especially among drunkards, which does not surprise me. Personally, I do not think that extra consumption of alcohol would heal the hangover. I think it would only worsen the matter. First of all, I do not think that remedy is actually scientifically tested. On the other hand, just because it is not scientifically tested does not necessarily mean it does not work. After all, most scientifically proven drugs we use are often derived from folk medicine. Therefore, given the popularity of this folk remedy, I would not be surprised if it worked for someone or for most alcohol consumers.

In addition to that, because “the dog that bit ya” is used by a certain group of people, then it creates identity.  This remedy can distinctively separate two different people, it can also bring together two same people. If one drinks and actually believes in this remedy, then he or she belongs in a group. On the other hand, a non-drinker might never know about the remedy unless he associates with a folk group that uses that lore.

Drinking Song

Nationality: Scottish, Lebanese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: February 17, 2008
Primary Language: English

Rugby Drinking Song

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he’s got holes in his hands

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he’s got holes in his hands

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause his father fixes matches

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause his father fixes matches

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only has 12 friends

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only has 12 friends

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only drinks red wine

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only drinks red wine

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only knows ten rules

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause he only knows ten rules

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause the cross would give him flashbacks

All x2: Jesus can’t play rugby ‘cause the cross would give him flashbacks

Chorus: Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

All x3: God we’re only kidding

All x3: Jesus saves

According to the informant, Matt the song is sung to the tune of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Matt says the rugby team he is a part of sings the song at after game celebrations and really anytime the team gets together to drink. While singing team members may only hold their cup in their left hand. The song is not definite in length or form. According to Matt the first line of each verse can be started by anyone, who has an idea for why Jesus can’t play rugby. To start a new verse a person must put their cup on their head and then say the line they have come up with. If the team approves of the line, they repeat it and the song continues. However if the person messes up or the team disapproves of the line, they dip their hands in their drinks and flick their drinks upon the person who messed up while chanting, “Redeem thyself” until the person come up with a suitable line. Matt says the song lasts until no one can come up with another verse or until the team simply gets bored of singing the song.

Matt told me that the song is a really good way for the team to bond and enjoy having a few beers together. The song is always performed in a very jovial manner. Everyone has fun while singing it, even if they are forced to redeem themselves. He thinks that the song will likely live on as a rugby team tradition. Although he identifies himself as a Catholic, he doesn’t see the song as blasphemous because it is sung in a light and joking manner. He also says the song is really more about rugby than about Jesus. Matt was taught the song, after joining the rugby team, at a post practice get together. He said it was easy to learn and made him feel connected to the team

The song is obviously a very good way for the team to come together and bond. The slightly socially taboo nature of the song makes the participants feel all the more close. The song makes use of many puns that are formed by comparing bible terminology to rugby terminology. The song is a way to demonstrate knowledge of rugby and to show an individual’s creativity through the creation of a funny lyric. The song is a way for the teammates to blow off a little steam after a game or practice and enjoy a few drinks.

Toast – Ireland

Nationality: Irish
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Rancho Mirage, CA
Performance Date: April 12, 2008
Primary Language: English

May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you’re dead.

The informant, Brendan Murphy, says his family uses this toast at family gatherings right before everyone begins to eat. Brendan learned this toast from his grandfather, who is a native of Ireland. Brendan says his grandfather always proposes the toast. One time Brendan’s dad started the toast and it was weird for Brendan. He says that the eldest patriarch of the family is supposed to start the toast. According to Brendan, the toast is way of wishing everyone present good fortune throughout life. Brendan likes the toast because he sees it as a family tradition that is distinctly Irish and he is very proud of his Irish heritage. Brendan hopes to continue using this toast at family gatherings and wants to propose the toast at some point in his life.
The toast has several elements that make it seem distinctly Irish. First the presence of the devil and heaven in the toast relate to the strong Catholic beliefs many Irish people hold. The devil is obviously seen as a malicious figure in this toast. The toast being about good fortune also suggests it is Irish as beliefs about luck are ubiquitous in Irish culture. The toast is essentially saying may you be so lucky that you get to heaven before the devil realizes you have died. Wishing someone luck in the afterlife is wishing him or her a lucky life in general. Although the quote is not specific to their family, the family has adopted it, so it must have had some special significance to them at some point.

Drinking Game

Nationality: Peruvian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: March 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Drinking Game (Fuck the Dealer)

You need a full deck of cards and at least two players to play. Whoever has the deck can see the card that is coming and someone that doesn’t have the deck must guess what the card is. If he is wrong on the first try, the dealer will either tell the person that their guess was too low or too high. Then the guesser gets another chance and if he gets that wrong he must drink the difference of his guess (so if he guess 7 and it was five, he has to take two sips of his drink). If he guesses right then the dealer must drink (if its a seven its seven sips). Also after every card you discard the card and put in on the table so everyone can see what cards are left. For example, if all four tens are gone you will know and never guess that number. The dealer must survive three wrong guesses in a row before he can hand over the cards to the next person. The later in the deck the more fucked the dealer gets because it is easier to guess the cards.

Analysis:

Charlie learned of this drinking game senior year of high school. He was at a party in his hometown and played it with a friend.  Since then, it has become one of his “top five” drinking games.  Once he came to college, however, he did not play it as much.  He said this is because friends here are not as “hard core” of drinkers as his friends back home.  There is no way to avoid drinking heavily in this game, so it is not suited for lightweights.  The game isn’t meant to be as fun as beer pong and other competition games, because its sole purpose is to get the players very drunk, very fast. He recommends playing this game, especially if one is fond of drinking alcohol. It is good to play before the party gets “bumpin”, according to Charlie.  The game is mostly played with close friends, unlike King’s Cup where the more the merrier.

This game seems to be pretty contemporary.  I have not heard of this game and it certainly isn’t as popular has Beirut (Beer Pong), Flip Cup, or even King’s Cup.  The goal of most drinking games, especially in American culture, is to get as drunk as possible. This game seems to fulfill that objective pretty well.

Fuck the Dealer represents the essence of college partying.  Many stereotypes portray college and universities with a tendency to binge drink.  In most cases this is a fairly accurate statement but there are many schools with strict policies on alcohol.  Drinking among American students, however, is fairly common.  It is a way for students to relieve the stresses of school and socialize with peers.  Alcohol has become almost essential to any party environment and is even frowned upon when out.  This is probably due to its effects on the nervous system, making people lose their inhibitions and be more open. In addition, some people do not feel comfortable interacting sober on an individual basis, so these group games provide a context of interaction in which the timid are able to come out of their shell.

A deck of cards is common in drinking games.  Some of these games include King’s Cup, Spoons, Category, Drug Dealer, Drunk Driver, Indian Poker, High Low Red or Black, Jacks, and Pyramids to name a few[1].  It is not known why cards play just a vital role but it could just be the ease of accessibility and inexpensiveness.

These types of drinking games are typically played at the beginning of one’s night, as sort of an icebreaker or just to pre-game before a party.  It is generally not played all night but rather for a couple hours at maximum. There are, of course, exceptions to this; for instance, Beer Pong competitions have been the center of many parties with extensive brackets and the illustrious title of champion on the line.

[1] http://www.beerfun.com/cardgames.html

Game – USA

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oak Park, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2008
Primary Language: English

Game—USA

“Beer Hockey”

Adam Schall learned how to play this game as a freshman here at USC.  While the rules of the game are not set in stone, they [as reported by him] are as follows:  Players (while 2 are needed to play—3 or more is ideal) all sit around a table (round or oval shape is preferred but not necessary) with a bottle or glass of beer.  It is important that there be a plentiful stash of quarters in someone’s possession or near the table.  To start the game, one player spins a quarter to the center of the table and calls out another players name.  The player whose name was called must try to whack the quarter (however he desires) at one of the other player’s bottles.  Each player may try to block the quarter with his/her index and pinky fingers only.  In the event the quarter makes contact with the bottle (the sound is usually loud and recognizable and thus the game can be played in a loud environment—hence why bottles are used), the individual who got hit enters a “drinking round.”  During this round, the player must drink his beer for as log as all the other players can keep a quarter spinning.  In the event that someone tries and succeeds in stopping the quarter upright, the player in the “drinking round” must finish his entire beer.  However if someone tries to stop the quarter upright and ends up killing the spin, then that individual must chug his beer.  The players usually get very into the game, setting each other up to make different people drink and reacting emotionally when someone’s bottle gets hit.

This game fits the criteria of one of those “useless drinking games” that college students play and use to get drunk.  While neither Adam nor myself had heard of the game before coming to USC, we had both been exposed to our own fair shares of drinking games, some similar, some different.  Drinking games are an interesting example of folklore because kids are always arguing over specified rules, which change from place to place depending on the types of kids, how heavily they drink, and how they learned to play the game.  Speaking as someone who came across the country to go to college, drinking games in New York and L.A. may have the same name, but almost always, the rules are vastly different.  Those who play the games feel very passionate about the rules that they were taught and thus different regulations can be a heated topic of discussion.